Berta de los Angeles Soler Fernandez (born July 31, 1963 in Matanzas, Cuba) is a Cuban dissident. She is the current leader of

Ladies in White Ladies in White ( es, italics=no, Damas de Blanco) is an opposition movement in Cuba founded in 2003 by wives and other female relatives of jailed dissidents and those who have been made to disappear by the government. The women protest the impri ...

, a group originally composed of wives and female relatives of political prisoners who protested on their behalf which has since 2011 transformed into a more general human rights group open to Cuban women. She assumed leadership following the death of group founder Laura Pollan. In 2012, the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

described her as "one of Cuba's leading dissidents".

Biography

Early life

Soler is a former microbiology technician at a Havana hospital. She is married to Angel Moya Acosta, a construction worker and dissident, with whom she has two Children, Luis Angel and Lienys.

Activism

In March 2003, Soler's husband Moya, the founder of the Alternative Option Movement, was arrested during Cuba's " Black Spring" crackdown on political dissidents. He was later sentenced to twenty years in prison. Soler then became a founding member of the Ladies in White, a group composed of wives and female relatives of political prisoners. Each Sunday, members would dress in white and march down Havana's Fifth Avenue in protest of their husbands' continued detention. When Moya suffered a herniated disc in October 2004, Soler began a campaign to urge the government to give him an operation, submitting a letter to President Fidel Castro on his behalf and staging a rare protest in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Plaza de la Revolución Plaza de la Revolución (), "Revolution Square", is a municipality (or borough) and a square in Havana, Cuba. The municipality, one of the 15 forming the city, stretches from the square down to the sea at the Malecón and includes the Vedado d ...

with the

. She described the protest as "my right and duty as a wife". After two days of protest, Moya was given surgery. Soler was one of five members of the Ladies to be selected to receive the 2005

Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scientis ...

of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. The Cuban government barred the group's leaders from attending the Sakharov Prize award ceremony in Strasbourg,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, drawing an appeal on the group's behalf from the

. After Moya's release from prison, he and Soler chose to remain in Cuba and continue their calls for the release of political prisoners, despite being offered emigration to Spain. In March 2012, Soler and Moya were detained along with three dozen other demonstrators when they staged their weekly protest ahead of a visit of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

. Soler told reporters that authorities had warned the Ladies to avoid Benedict's public appearances, including masses. She responded, "They are mistaken because who is going to prohibit us from being close to Christ, being close to God, to the pope who is represents Christ on earth?" In 2013, seven members and former members of the Ladies in White denounced Berta Soler for the diversion and appropriation of the funds the organization receives from the US and EU supporting governments and agencies, as well for using "dictatorial" practices.

References

External links

Berta Soler
'' Freedom Collection'' interview
Biography by CIDOB
(in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Soler, Berta Living people Cuban dissidents 1963 births People from Matanzas